Basford United vs Sporting Khalsa

FA CUP SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND

Basford United

Loss

Sporting Khalsa

Win

Recap

Craig Bannister – the hero once again

Craig Bannister grabbed his eight and ninth FA Cup goals of the season as Sporting Khalsa’s feat of giant killing put them into the next round.

Basford, who won the Midland Football League in some style last year, came up against a determined and battling Khalsa side who were in no mood to pay too much respect to their higher league opponents.

The opening phases were lively and energetic, albeit with few opportunities of any particular note.

Basford keeper Saul Deeney needed to be alert to punch a dangerous Mensah Kinch cross which almost reached Joe Rogers on 15 minutes, and then just a minute later David Boaf and Ben Hutchinson broke down the right and Khalsa keeper James Pemberton needed to act in unorthodox manner to slide out of his area to clear with his feet.

Basford took the lead on 22 minutes when Basford’s two standout players – Jermaine Hollis and Hutchinson – combined with the former taking a corner which ended up at the feet of the later who slotted home.

With moments to go in the half, Deeney pounced to deny the onrushing Marvin Nisbett before Pemberton was forced to pluck the ball from the air as it bounced mischievously around a crowded penalty box.

As has been so often the case this season, Khalsa were a different team in the second half.

Bannister set up a chance for Kinch within a minute of the restart, a drive from the edge of the box well saved by the keeper.

But on 58 minutes the game turned on its head, Bannister rampaging through, holding off his marker and slotting past Deeney to equalise.

The was panic moments later when the officials stopped play following a tussle in the area, only for any penalty decision to be over-ruled by the linesman flagging.

The home side were still catching their breath when a centre half Tes Robinson grabbed his fourth goal of the season, heading home a corner from Jackson.

Dave Meese should have put the game beyond the home side on 59 minutes, a botched clearance leaving the midfielder with an open goal from the edge of the box, only for his shot to be saved by the scrambling Deeney.

But Basford haven’t got to where they are without being fighters and they came at Khalsa with renewed enthusiasm.

On 72 minutes Hutchinson headed just over after brilliant link up play between Correy Grantham and Ruben Wiggins-Thomas.

Two minutes later Wiggins-Thomas turned scorer as he powered home the equaliser from a Blair Anderson cross.

Hutchinson – a menace from the start – almost put Basford ahead on 80 minutes, holding off Roger and Robinson and lobbing onto the roof of the net from the edge of the area.

But on 82 minutes, perhaps against the run of play, Bannister powered home a header to send the travelling Khalsa contingent into raptures.

With the match heading into a protracted injury time spell, Carlo Franco produced the tackle of the game to deny Hutchinson.

Khalsa go into the draw on Monday as the lowest ranked West Midlands team in the competition.